Looking Up: Vivian's BIRTHday!

Vivian Paige is here!!

The day we met our precious baby girl: 7/3/2014 11:16 am

Since my pregnancy was not entirely enjoyable (although I'm not complaining), I was really hoping for as uncomplicated of a birth as possible. I'll say I pretty much got what I wished for! hallelujah! So if you're interested in how it all went down, here it goes....

7/2/14
2200: I started having contractions (nothing new... I'd been having braxton hicks and false labor for weeks), so I timed a few, decided it was nothing and went to sleep.

2315: I woke up to more intense contractions that felt a little closer together and more regular... so after timing a few at 6-7 minutes apart, I decided to take a bath to see if they would go away.... They did NOT! They remained at about 5-6 minutes apart from midnight until 1am.

7/3/14
0100: contractions 4 minutes apart. I was told to call the doc when my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart for an hour or more... they pretty much had been, but I wanted to hold out as long as possible because I knew as soon as I called they'd send me to the hospital, and I didn't want to go until I absolutely had to. It's so much easier/more comfortable to labor at home. Plus, I knew the earlier I went, the earlier I'd be convinced to get an epidural (which I still wasn't completely sure I wanted to do), and that just leads to a domino of other interventions I wasn't interested in.

0130: contractions 3 minutes apart.. I should probably call, but instead I double checked the hospital bags, packed snacks for Adam, and walked around the house.

0200: contractions 2 minutes apart, 1 minute long and intense! They don't tell you that the pain isn't just in your abdomen and back... it goes down to your thighs, and that's what hurts!

0215: I called the doc and was told to go to the hospital... Surprise! ;). So I woke Adam and told him (for real this time) that we needed to go to the hospital. He got dressed and packed up the car while I SLOWLY got ready. It is NO joke when they tell you that during REAL contractions, you canNOT do ANYTHING (walk, talk, move, nada!). During one of my contractions, Adam tried to ask me if I really wanted to bring all the snacks I had out since they didn't all fit in one bag... once I was done contracting I almost bit his head off because 1. those were his snacks, 2. I wasn't even going to be allowed to eat anything until after the birth (not looking forward to that one), and 3. you just don't ask a laboring woman dumb questions... After that, he was really great!... Very helpful/supportive and no more dumb questions.

0245: We were on our way to the hospital. Out of pure luck, we hit every green light! If you live in Tucson, you know how miraculous that is! Adam also really wanted to be helpful so he started timing my contractions and coaching me... It was really sweet. And side note, it was Monsoon season so crazy storms were a brewing!

0310: We arrived at the hospital, sent to triage and given a room immediately. They had me change into a gown so they could check me and monitor my contractions to determine if I was really in labor... Um trust me, I was! I obliged anyway. I was 5 centimeters so they sent me to L&D.

0400: I was 7cm (yep, that quick!) and after being checked twice, I informed Adam that meds would be happening! I'd endured enough and wasn't trying to prove anything. Plus I was far enough along and progressing quickly so I wasn't too worried about the epidural slowing down labor enough to be an issue.
We're ready!:

0430: An angel (aka the anesthesiologist) came in and gave me the epidural.

0440: I was in heaven! So much more comfortable!!! and after the fact, I can say that I don't regret getting the epidural. It allowed me to rest before I had to start pushing so I had the energy to do so, plus getting the epidural was a cake walk. I felt nothing!
After the epidural (there were NO pictures before):

0500-1000: I was so relaxed during this time that I can't really say what happened, when. I progressed at about 1cm every 1-2 hours... the epidural did slow me down, but I was sure to change positions frequently to keep things moving. at 0800 I was in-between 9 and 10cm so my doc broke my water (since it was bulging but not budging). That really got things moving! I immediately felt instant pressure in my rear (yeah, that's where you feel it), and within a few hours couldn't contain it anymore and knew it was time to push.

1020: My nurse checked me, I was 10cm and ready to start pushing. The whole pushing experience was different than I imagined. You usually only see/hear about the last few pushes before the baby comes out (even in my L&D experience as an RN that's all I ever witnessed). The ones before that are much more relaxed. I had a great RN who was training to be a midwife so she was great about letting me listen to my body and do what I felt comfortable with. **Side note: We had a birth plan, but didn't share the paper copy with the staff because I've seen fist hand how easily that plan flies out the window when you do. We just told them our wishes and had the plan as a back-up.**
Part of my plan was to be allowed to labor in any position I felt comfortable. The standard lithotomy position was doing nothing for me. So, I found what was comfortable for me, Adam and my nurse sat at the end of the bed and coached me through each push, and we chatted in-between (I will say, the small talk got a little obnoxious, so I just tuned it out).

1100: She was ready to come out! We called the doc and she was in the OR so I had to wait 10 minutes... trying not to push is wayy harder than pushing!!

1110: My doc arrived and I pushed a few more times. I'm also pretty sure the epidural did not work below the waist because I felt everything from the beginning of pushing until the delivery! I have to admit that I liked it that way because it helped me keep going when I thought I couldn't do anymore (especially during that last push!).

1116: Our sweet baby girl was born and immediately put on my chest. It was the most incredible thing I've ever felt. Her eyes were wide open, looking at Adam and I. She even looked up at Adam while squeezing his finger (I would kill to have that on camera, but the mental image is still strong). The three of us just stared at each other and cried while the doc and nurses did their thing. ....We asked that she not be taken from us (for measurements etc) for at least an hour.
Viv's first picture :) :

A few hours after Vivian arrived, we were transferred to the post-partum unit where we stayed for 24 hours before we were discharged. We had a few visitors.. my mom (who got on a flight to Tucson as soon as she heard I was in labor), and our friend Amberlee who was a saint and brought us dinner (and beer for me lol... hey, it helps with lactation!). They let us go home after Viv passed all her tests (hearing, physical, and she had to pee and poop before she could leave), and after my doc and the lactation consultant agreed that I was ready to go as well. My one regret in leaving so quickly was I forgot to get pictures of the three of us in the hospital :(. Oh well, I think I've made up for it with the million photos I've taken since ;).

Bonding with Dad: